Human for a Day or Two
by PokemonTrainer12
Summary: Thanks to his friend Yuma, Astral has been turned into a human. After WDC.
1. Worst Mechanic Ever

"Yuma, what are you doing?" I ask.

"Figuring out somethin'." he mumbles. His hands are busy holding the Emperor's Key. One can only guess what he is up to.

"What are you trying to figure out?" I ask.

"Just— ah, here we go!" Yuma stands up, wearing a triumphant grin.

But I know better. He is planning something. And I have the suspicious feeling that it involves me.

"Hold still, Astral." Yuma tells me.

"What are you planning?" I say guardedly.

"No questions. Just trust me— this is gonna be great!"

He holds up the Key, pointing it directly at me.

"I don't think—" _Zap!  
_  
A brief flash of light surrounds me. It fades away in less than a second. I feel very…odd.

Yuma has an even wider smile, if that is possible. "It worked perfectly!" he crows.

"What did you do?" I ask nervously.

He hands me a handheld mirror. "See for yourself!"

I can actually see my face, although it looks very, very different.

In fact, it looks human.

"What did you do?" I repeat.

"To be completely honest, I have no idea. I just thought that if I messed around with the Key, I could turn you into a human. And I was right!"

Despite my bewilderment, I'm impressed. I never thought that Yuma could find a way to use the Key like that.

"Now that is has worked," I say, "can you change me back?"

"Uh, about that…" Yuma's grin is replaced with a frown. "I don't exactly know how to…"  
_  
What?!  
_  
He brightens up again. "…Which means you'll have to go to school with me tomorrow!"  
_  
WHAT?! _

* * *

**BTW, my sister came up with the idea of using the Key to turn Astral into a human.  
**


	2. This is School?

"You're lucky I have a spare uniform." Yuma says, tossing a shirt to me.

"I'm lucky that it is washed." I murmur.

As usual, Yuma is late for school. But this time, I am late as well. And I can't fly since I am human, so I will have to run to make it on time.

We are out the door in a few minutes. Bronk skateboards in front of Yuma, nearly knocking him over. "Watch where you're going!" Yuma shouts angrily at his friend.

"Wanna race to school?" Bronk asks. "Wait, uh, who's that?" He points to me.

"Oh. Astral's human now. And he's coming to school with us today!" Yuma explains.

Bronk's eyes widen. "Wow."

While Yuma runs ahead with Bronk, I follow more slowly. I'm not quite used to walking on the ground.

"Hey, Yuma!" a voice shouts behind me.

Yuma turns his head to look. "Hey, Rei!"

"Let's take the Rei Way to school." Rei suggests.

Yuma stops. Bronk speeds ahead without a care. "Sure, let's go." Yuma agrees enthusiastically.

I watch them go off. This time I can say 'no' to the Rei Way. I do not care for it, even though it affected Yuma more than me.

I make it to school only five minutes late.

There are no empty seats in the classroom. I stand awkwardly in the doorway. I can't help but notice that Yuma's desk is empty. He must still be on his way with Rei.

"Are you new?" a green-haired girl walks up to me: Tori.  
I nod.

"I'm Tori. Nice to meet you!" She extends her hand out to me, and I shake it.

From his desk, Mr. Kay loudly clears his throat to call the class to attention. As the classroom hushes, Tori walks over and whispers something in Mr. Kay's ear. She discreetly points at me. "Mmhm," he nods. "Thank you, Tori." Tori returns to her seat. "Class, we have an unexpected new student today—"

"HERE!" Yuma and Rei burst into the room. "We made it!"

The classroom's eyes shift from me onto Yuma and Rei. The boys are a mess. From Rei's "shortcuts" I presume.

"Take your seats, please." There is a cold edge in Mr. Kay's voice.

Rei sits down. Yuma cocks his head questioningly at me, silently asking me why I am not at a desk. I shrug.

"As I was saying," Mr. Kay continues, giving Rei and Yuma both a sharp look. "We have a new student. Please welcome— what is your name?" he asks me.

All heads turn my way. After a few moments' hesitation, I say "Astral."

Tori's mouth drops open. Cat does a double take. A few of the other students— Yuma's friends— are completely stunned, judging by the looks on their faces.

"That's an…interesting name." Mr. Kay says slowly.

Yuma waves his hand in the air. "Can Astral sit next to me? PLEASE?! I'll make room!"

Mr. Kay tries to ignore him and surveys the students. Trying to see if someone else offers. Nobody raises their hand. Mr. Kay sighs. "Very well."

"Yesss!" Yuma yanks a spare chair up next to him with a screech. I walk over and sit down, quite relieved to have everyone's eyes off of me.

Typical. Yuma has fallen asleep during math. His snores don't bother me at all. Instead I focus on the sheet of paper on the table in front of me.

* * *

Duel period arrives. Yuma is about to Duel Bronk, so I take my usual place next to him. I need to instruct Yuma during Duels, otherwise he will lose easily.

"Astral, this kinda looks like cheating…" Yuma tells me as augmented reality activates. "I think you should sit this one out."

I nod, turn around, walk away, and sit down on a bench. It is painful to watch the Duel. Yuma has definitely become a better Duelist over time, but Bronk easily defeats him within a few turns. I suppress a groan and press my face into my hands as my friend tumbles backwards, his Life Points at 0.

"Hey, newbie!" a smug voice says. I uncover my face and look up. A second-year boy and three others are staring down at me. I am surrounded. "Yeah, you. Are you new here?"

I don't answer. I do not trust them at all.

"I'm talkin' to you! So look me in the eye!" he grabs me by my shirt, hauling me to my feet. "The first thing you need is to be taught some respect!" He snaps his fingers. Two of his subordinates grab my arms and pin them behind my back.

Yuma gets up. He sees what is happening and races over, placing himself between me and the bullies. By this time however, I have already taken a few punches. It hurts very badly.

"Leave him alone!" Yuma says bravely. "He didn't do anything to you."

"Buzz off, pipsqueak." the leader retorts. Without warning, he punches Yuma in the face.

"Oww…" Yuma holds his cheek.

I don't want Yuma involved in this. I don't want him hurt. Glaring at the leader, I say, "I challenge you to a Duel!"


	3. The Duel!

**Aw, shucks, guys! Your reviews are what makes me want to continue doing this! ^_^**

* * *

"A Duel?" the bully is shocked. "What makes you think I'd Duel a wimpy-looking Duelist like you?"

"That's not true!" Yuma cuts in. "Astral's an amazing Duelist!"

"Shut up," snaps the leader. He turns back to me. "Fine. I accept your challenge."

He and his gang walk away. The leader takes his place across the Duel field.

"Yuma, I am going to need your deck. And your Duel Disk." I tell him. I don't have my own with me.

"Okay," Yuma hands them to me. "Good luck— not that you'll need it."

I nod briefly before I walk over to take my place on the field.

The leader smirks at me. "You're going to be crushed, newbie. It was a big mistake challenging me. Maybe—" he scratches his chin, thinking hard. "—we should make things more interesting."

I narrow my eyes. This isn't good— I can already tell from the smile spreading across his face.

"How about we set stakes; if I win, you can hand over your deck, and—" his gaze rests on Yuma. "—your friend's necklace. I can tell that it's important to him since he wears it all the time, so you must really care about it too, am I right?"

I'd rather not, but I don't think this ruffian is going to take 'no' for an answer. "I accept."

He pulls out his Duel Gazer. I don't have one, since I do not need one even though I am human. My right eye acts as one.

"Let's Duel!" we shout is unison.

* * *

This boy is an excellent Duelist. Although arrogant, he is skilled.

But it is my turn, and I have all I need to win.

"I Summon Gogogo Golem." As the Level 4 Monster appears, I take a Spell Card from my hand. "Next, I activate Monster Reborn to revive Gagaga Magician!"

"Those weak Monsters can't beat mine's Attack!" my opponent says smugly. He is smirking, like he has already won. Until he sees the look on my face. "What…what are you…?"

I ignore him. "I overlay my Level 4 Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! I Xyz Summon Number 39: Utopia!"

"Huh?!"

"Go, Astral!" Yuma cheers from the sidelines.

"Utopia, attack!" I say. "'Rising Sun Slash!'"

The shockwaves created by the attack knock my opponent backwards. His Life Points are 0.

Augmented reality disappears, and spectators remove their D-Gazers. Yuma runs over to me. "Congrats, Astral! I knew you could do it!"

My opponent groans as he sits up. I walk over to him and extend my hand to help him to his feet. He mutters under his breath, "It must've been dumb luck…" he mutters as he takes my hand. "How on Earth…did you defeat me in just five turns?" he asks accusingly.

He thinks that I cheated. A poor sport, indeed. I answer simply, "I used my cards."

Glaring, he turns and marches away. His comrades hastily follow.

"Great job, Astral!" Tori exclaims. "Those boys sure picked the wrong Duelist to mess with!"

"I had a lot of fun, too." I admit. "By the way, I've been curious…" I turn to Yuma.

He cocks his head. "What is it, Astral?"

"What does 'ice cream' taste like?"

He laughs. "I'll take you right after school."

* * *

**I'm sorry that I didn't write the entire Duel. But how on earth do you write about a Duel and make it interesting? XD  
Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Happy New Year! :D**


	4. Aisu Kurimu and a Lake

Yuma passes me a vanilla ice cream cone, the flavor I asked for. Tori, Rei, Bronk, Rio, Caswell, Flip, Cat, and even Shark came along for ice cream. We all sit down at circular tables to eat.

I stare down at my cone. I have never eaten ice cream before. It must be cold, since it has 'ice' in its name. But it must taste smooth, because there is 'cream' in its name.

"Here's how you eat ice cream, Astral." Yuma says. He is sitting across from me. "You have to eat it _really _fast, otherwise it'll melt. And you can lick it or bite it— your choice. You can eat the cone, too, when you finish the ice cream."  
_  
Okay, _I think. _How hard can it be? _

* * *

_Oooh…_ Five minutes later, I fall backwards out of my chair. My head feels frozen.

Tori comes back with more napkins. She sets them down on the table, then looks around with a confused expression. "Where's Astral?"

"Down there." Yuma points to me, where I am sitting up with my hand pressed to my forehead.

"My head hurts…" I moan.

"Brain freeze?" Bronk guesses.  
_  
"What did you tell him, Yuma?!"_ Tori yells in his ear.

"Oww…Tori, not so loud…" Yuma mumbles. "I just told him how to eat ice cream."

"Yeah, but the _wrong way!" _Tori yells even louder, causing Yuma to fall out of _his_ chair.

"I don't like ice cream very much…" I murmur.

* * *

I pull a large T-shirt over my head, and then some pajama pants. Since this human transformation has not worn off, I'll be sleeping in a bed tonight.

Yuma walks into the room, drying himself off with a towel. "You should have told me that you didn't know how to take a shower…" he mutters.

I shrug.

Footsteps sound in the hallway; Kari. Yuma tiptoes over to the door and opens it a crack. Without turning his head, he waves his hand, telling me to come over watch with him.

"What is it?" I ask.  
_  
"Ssshh!"_

We silently watch as Kari turns the doorknob into the bathroom and pushes the door open. Her eyes widen to the size of saucers. Before she can even scream a torrent of water gushes forth and sweeps off her feet, carrying her all the way down the stairs.

Yuma cracks up and leans on me for support, holding his sides. "That was great!" he exclaims through his laughter. "Did you see the look on her face?" He mimics it, and the two of us laugh. "Hey," he says, stopping suddenly. "I think that's the first time I've heard you laugh."

I don't know how to respond. The sound of sodden footsteps distracts us. "YUMA!" Kari shrieks angrily. "I AM GOING TO _KILL _YOU AND YOUR FRIEND! WHY ON EARTH WAS THERE WATER FOUR FEET DEEP IN THAT BATHROOM?!"

We only laugh even harder. Acting quickly, Yuma locks the door. Kari tries to open it. She even tries ramming into it, but nothing works. We both let out a sigh of relief simultaneously, thinking we are safe.

It is too soon to feel secure. The door suddenly breaks off, zooming into the room while passing by only inches from our faces. Yuma and I bite our tongues to keep ourselves from laughing at the sight of Kari soaking wet and steaming mad. Instead I look sideways at Yuma. "Now would be a good time to run for our lives."

"Yes, let's." Yuma agrees.

We both make a break for the window.

* * *

**The ice cream-brain freeze was thanks to "Durbe the Barian". So, Thank you!**

**The showering idea was another genius idea from my sister. Thank you again! :)**


	5. Run For Your Life!

**I am so, so sorry this took so long. I usually just work on the story when I think of it. But hey, enough apologies- enjoy! :)**

* * *

We slide off the roof and race down the street. "Do…do you have a place to hide in mind?" I pant.

"Nope," Yuma replies.

The rumble of an engine catches my attention.

"Your sister owns a motorcycle, correct?" I say.

"Yeah," Yuma answers. "Why?"

I look over my shoulder. Yuma follows my gaze. We both double-take at the same moment, then slowly look back at each other and gulp.

Kari is pursuing us on her motorcycle, and she is closing in. Fast.

"Oh, geez! RUN, ASTRAL!" Yuma shouts, and sprints forward.

I run as fast as I can, but there is clearly no point in trying to out-run a vehicle on foot.

Headlights shine ahead of us.

"Hey! Shark!" Yuma calls, waving his hand frantically.

Shark stops. "What?"

"Can you give us a lift?"

"No." Shark prepares to zoom off.

The sound of Kari approaching makes Yuma desperate. He shoves Shark off his bike and jumps on. "Come on, Astral!" Yuma says, holding his hand out to me.

I'd like to object, if this were an ordinary situation. But when you have Yuma's fuming older sister at your heels, you do not have much choice.

"Hey!" Shark's angry shout is drowned out by the roar of the bike's engine as we speed away.

"Tell me that you know how to drive," I plead.

Yuma doesn't answer.

My stomach does not feel well.

Yuma presses his foot down on the gas pedal, increasing the speed to its maximum. He swerves into an alley, knocking down a few litter-bots.

"Man, Kari's comin' fast…" Yuma mutters.

"Yuma! Wall!" I yell. Then I cover my eyes; I can't bear to watch anymore.  
_  
Screeeech! _Yuma veers sharply right just in time. Behind us, I hear brakes squealing as Kari crashes straight into and through the wooden wall.

"I think we are safe." I tell Yuma. He slows down a little.

"Now what?" he asks.

"Should we go home?" I ask. "I mean your home?" I correct myself.

"Sure. It's getting cold."

* * *

Magically, the water is gone. That is the first thing I notice when I step inside.

Yuma notices, too. "Where did all the water go?"

"Perhaps it evaporated," I say, thinking of Kari's fury, hot as flames.

"I bet Kari's still out there looking for us." Yuma says. "We should get to bed before she karate-chops us."

The attic is dark. Darker than usual. I can't even see the window.

Yuma yawns. "'Night Astral,"

I stare at him.

"Oh, right. You can't go inside the Key." Yuma realizes. "I think there's a bed downstairs."  
I climb down.

Suddenly the lights turn on. Someone is standing in the doorway.  
_  
Oh, no…_ I think. I swallow hard.

"You're gonna pay for stealing my bike." Shark says. "You and Yuma are gonna _pay."_

The excitement never ends.


End file.
